Soulless Soul

Chapter 13: Strange Invitation

Now getting back to the matters at hand, Sky was still trapped inside his cage.

The beautiful woman looked up from her notes and stepped closer, approaching the reinforced sleeping cage with a calm, methodical grace. With practiced, efficient movements, she reached through the maintenance port of the capsule and began to carefully undo the automated medical syringes that had been placed into Sky’s body to keep him sedated and hydrated during his long journey.

As she worked, she spoke without looking at him. "I am a Blue One, Jane. You can call me Rare Jane."

Sky watched her hands, surprised by her sudden willingness to introduce herself. "I am Skies," he offered tentatively, his voice still a bit rough.

"I already know that based on your profile," Jane replied smoothly, clicking the final syringe out of its slot. "But before we begin our official evaluation..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a loud, violent sound echoed through the sterile room. Sky’s stomach rumbled aggressively. The sheer depth of his hunger was entirely embarrassing. It made sense, though—he hadn’t eaten a single bite of food even before he had reported himself to the government facility, and who knew exactly how long he had been trapped fighting for his life in that brutal dungeon world? Time moved differently on the other side.

Jane paused, looking down at his midsection, and then let out a soft, amused huff. "Looks like we can’t talk on an empty stomach."

Turning around, she walked over to the heavy security door. Knocking sharply on the reinforced metal, Blue One Jane called an officer over from the outside corridor. She spoke to him in a quiet, commanding tone, gesturing back toward the capsule. The officer looked past her shoulder, his eyes landing squarely on Sky with a mixture of pity and annoyance. The officer stepped forward and punched a override code into the console. The heavy glass canopy hissed open, and the leather restraints unlocked with a loud click. "Get up, kiddo," the officer muttered, waving him out.

Sky was finally free from the claustrophobic confines of the sleep cage. His legs felt like jelly as he swung them over the edge, but he forced himself to stand, following the officer down a series of cold, white corridors until they arrived at a private room.

"You can use this place to freshen up," the officer said, pointing toward a door that led into a clean, modern bathroom. "And we’ll bring your food when you are done."

"Okay," Sky said, not needing to be told twice.

A few minutes later, Sky was thoroughly enjoying the absolute luxury of a hot shower.

Ah, I’m in heaven, Sky thought to himself, closing his eyes as the steaming water cascaded over his aching, bruised body. He willed himself to temporarily forget about his terrifying experiences in the Dungeon Realm, and more importantly, he forced himself to forget about the looming disaster of his negative curse. For just a few minutes, he wanted to pretend he was a normal human being.

He was completely alone in the report station’s private showers, utterly relaxing under the continuous streams of hot water. After a bit of time had passed and his skin had turned a healthy shade of pink, Sky reluctantly turned the tap off. He stepped out of the stall and walked over to the towel rack, wrapping a clean white cloth around his waist.

Coincidentally, as he wiped the steam away from the glass, he saw his own reflection staring back at him in the mirror. He looked a bit healthier, the grime of the slums washed away. Feeling a sudden surge of pride for surviving an ordeal that killed most people, he took a ridiculous pose in front of the mirror. He flexed his arms, admiring his lean physique, and even went so far as to playfully kiss his small biceps. "Pretty boy," he muttered to himself with a smirk.

"What are you doing?" a cool, deadpan voice suddenly said from right behind him.

"What the fuck?!" Sky screamed, his heart jumping straight into his throat. He spun around wildly, slipping slightly on the wet tile floor, clutching his towel tightly to make sure it didn’t fall off.

Standing right there by the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed, was Jane.

"What are you doing here?! No—how long have you even been standing there?!" Sky stammered, his face instantly burning with a fierce, deep crimson blush that put his bruised cheek to shame.

"Well, ever since you came out of the shower," Jane replied effortlessly. She gave him a deeply unsettled, highly amused smile that made his skin crawl.

"That’s all."

Sky felt like the world should just open up and swallow him whole right then and there. His dignity as a street-smart survivor had evaporated in a matter of seconds.

"Come and eat," she said simply, completely ignoring his agonizing embarrassment. She pointed toward a small table in the corner of the adjoining room before turning her back to give him some privacy.

After Sky quickly dressed himself in a simple, government-issued shirt and a pair of loose trousers, he practically flew to the table. He sat down and completely devoured the plate of food that had been left for him. It was a massive portion of real meat, rice, and fresh vegetables—luxuries he had only ever dreamed of tasting while scavenging in the slums.

"Phew... I feel alive again," Sky whispered, letting out a deep sigh of satisfaction. He picked up a clear plastic bottle, gulping down the crisp, purified water. He stared at the container in awe. Who would have thought that in my life, I’d actually be drinking from a bottle of clean water?

Jane sat across from him, watching his feral eating habits with a distinctly weird, judgmental look.

"Alright," she said, tapping her fingers against her leather-bound book. "Are you almost finished with your food?"

Sky wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and nodded quickly. "Yeah. I’m good."

Jane’s expression turned serious, the playful amusement from earlier completely vanishing. "Well, first things first. Whatever you saw and experienced in your first solo dungeon run... it was something someone of your background should not have passed through. The data we pulled from your capsule’s biometric scanners shows extreme mental stress. If you want, I can arrange for you to see the staff doctor. Post-transport trauma is highly common."

Sky didn’t hesitate. He knew that letting a government doctor poke around in his mind might expose his secret traits or the true nature of his curse. "No. I am fine."

Jane leaned forward, her icy purple eyes locking onto his. "Are you sure? There is no shame in admitting you’re broken, Skies. The dungeon breaks everyone eventually."

"Yeah, I am completely fine," Sky insisted, keeping his gaze steady.

Jane stared at him for a long moment, verifying his resolve, before slowly leaning back into her chair. "Well... if you say so. Next thing on the agenda, then. As per the official protocol for newly awakened survivors, I am here to invite you into our facility."

Sky paused, the bottle of water freezing halfway to his lips.

"Huh?"

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